Stringed musical instrument



July 20, 1937. H. H. SIMPSON STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Nov. 4, 1935 Patented July 20, 1937 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFIQE Hurshel Homer Simpson, Cumming, Ga., assignor of one-half to William F. Cooper, Chicago, Ill.

Application November 4, 1935, Serial No. 48,158

8 Claims.

This invention relates to stringed musical instruments.

One of the objects of this invention is to improve upon the tone quality of stringed musical instruments;. another object is to provide means in a stringed musical instrument for amplifying the volume thereof, and another object is to free the resonator thereof from objects that tend to deaden or interfere with the normal functioning thereof.

The invention has particular reference to fretted stringed musical instruments, such as violins, guitars, banjos and the like, although it is applicable to other stringed instruments, such as pianos, harps and so forth.

In accordance with the present invention, the connections between the body or other resonator and its neck, frame or other support, are brought down to an irreducible minimum amount of contact, whereby the body or other resonator is permitted to function free from hinderance by the neck, frame or other support. As an example, in fretted musical instruments, the neck and body have a minimum amount of contact thereby isolating from the resonator any independent vibration that is set up in the neck and, as a result, permitting the resonator to vibrate entirely independently of the neck. Desirably the connection between the strings and the other end 50f the body is also provided with a minimum amount of contact, whereby the resonator may be farther freed from vibration other than that set up in the resonator by the vibration of the strings.

The invention consists therefore, in a stringed musical instrument, having an irreducible minimum amount of contact between its resonator and the parts to which the strings are attached. It further consists in the provision of a minimum 401 number of contact points between the resonator and the neck or other part to which the strings are attached. It further consists in the several novel features hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in thle drawing accompanying this specification, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a plan of a guitar showing one form of the invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a fragmental vertical longitudinal section, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail end elevation of a contact plate looking in the direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan of the contact plate seen in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail end elevation of a companion contact plate looking in the direction of the arrow 5 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a plan of the contact plate seen in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a plan of the tail piece; and

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a clamp ring forming part of the tying connections between the body and neck of the instrument.

Referring to said drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the invention applied to a guitar, the reference character Ml designates the body; H the neck; t2 the tail piece; [3, the strings and M the bridge of the guitar. The body and neck, in the main, are constructed along conventional lines; however, they are not made integral, as is the common practice, but are spaced apart and have only an irreducible minimum amount of contact betweenv them.

In the form of the invention, as illustrated, a plate I5 is secured to the base l6 of the neck, by screws ll, and a companion plate 58 is secured to the end of the body by screws 19 at the place where the neck is customarily fastened to the same. Desirably the plates l5, l8 are formed of the same shape and size as the flat face of the base. As a preference, these plates may be composed of metal, but any suitable hard substance may be substituted therefor.

Secured to one of the plates, or formed as a part thereof, are several short, pointed pegs 20, three being shown, which bear upon the opposite plate and provide a three point contact between the body and neck. The pegs are also formed of metal or some other suitable hard substance, and desirably may be of conical form and provided with a reduced neck 2! that enters a hole in the plate.

In the. face of the plate, opposite the one containing the pegs, are formed sockets 22 disposed opposite to the pegs and shaped to permit the points only of the pegs to contact with the bottoms of the sockets, whereby an irreducible minimum amount 9f contact is afiorded between the two plates.

For the purpose of permitting a slight amount of adjustment of the neck in a direction transversely of the body, the sockets may be in the form of parallel grooves that extend transversely of the body of the instrument. With this arrangement the neck may be adjusted so as to locate the fretted finger board 23 closer to or farther away from the sounding board 24 of the instrument as desired, thereby producing a Spanish or a Hawaiian tone effect as the case may be.

Suitable connecting means are provided for tying the body and. neck together. As shown, said means comprise a tie bolt 25, anchored on one member of the instrument, and tightening means for engaging the other end with the other member of the instrument.

One end of the tie bolt is shown as anchored to the neck by a threaded pin 26 which is received in a bore formed in said member, and has a nut 21 secured upon its threaded end. One end of the pin may have a slotted head 28 thereon for the application of a screw driver thereto and any suitable expedient may be provided on the nut to prevent rotation thereof. Both the head and nut may be countersunk in the part to which they are attached. In a guitar the anchoring element may be contained in the base of the neck.

The tie bolt is shown as formed with an eye 29, in which the pin 28 is received, and its other end is threaded to receive a nut 30. The body, neck and contact plates are bored to provide considerable clearance space between the wall of the bore and the tie bolt. To provide a minimum amount of contact between the tie bolt and the body of the instrument, contact plates similar to the ones above described may be used between the end wall of the body and the nut 30. As shown, a clamp ring 3|, with three pointed pegs 3W thereon and a second clamp ring 32 with three sockets 33 therein, to receive the pegs, are used. One of he clamp rings is placed against the inner face of the end wall of the body, or a reinforcing block 34 thereof, and the other clamp ring is placed under the nut. By screwing up the nut tightly, the several pegs are caused to impinge respectively upon the clamp ring and plate, thereby rigidly connecting the body and neck of the instrument, but because of the minimum amount of surface connection between them, the body is, to all intents and purposes, isolated from the neck and is therefore free to vibrate, unrestrained by the neck.

As a result, the tone value of the instrument is greatly increased, and the pure quality of each note becomes more pronounced. Furthermore the volume is greatly amplified.

A minimum amount of contact is desirably provided between the other end of the body of the instrument and the strings. As shown, the means for accomplishing this result, comprises a two piece tail piece having a minimum amount of contact with each other. The tail piece member 35 is attached to the end wall of the body and the member 36 has the slots to receive the strings, as is customary. In the member 35 are secured two pointed pins 31, which engage in sockets in the member 36 and are held therein by the tension of the strings. Set screws 38 threaded in the member 35 and engaging in sockets in the member 36 prevent accidental disconnection between the two members.

From the above it is manifest that the forced vibrations in the resonator that are set up by the strings, are not hampered or interfered with by the neck, nor are any vibrations in the neck perceptibly transmitted to the resonator. As a result, a pure, unmufiled tone is obtained, whose value is greatly amplified.

The neck of a fretted stringed instrument, the tail piece thereof, and the frame or support of a piano or harp or like instrument, serve as a restraining element for the strings and, according ly, in the following claims, the term restraining element is intended to include such devices, as well as other devices that are usually made a part of or rigidly connected with the body, sounding board or other resonator of a stringed musical instrument.

More or less variation of the exact details of construction is possible without departing from the spirit of this invention; I desire, therefore, not to limit myself to the exact form of the construction shown and described, but intend, in the following claims to point out all of the invention disclosed herein.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a stringed musical instrument, a body, and a neck for restraining the strings of the instrument, combined wih several pointed pegs mounted on the body and forming the sole contacting means with the neck, and connecting means between said body and neck for securing them together.

2. In a stringed musical instrument, a body and a neck for restraining the strings of the instrument, combined with opposing plates mounted on said members, one of said plates having several pointed pegs thereon impinging upon the other plate, and connecting means between said body and neck for securing said members together.

3. In a stringed musical instrument, a body and a neck for restraining the strings of the instrument, combined with opposing plates on said members, one plate having several sockets there in and the other plate having several pointed pegs impinging upon the bottoms of said sockets, and connecting means between said body and neck for securing said members together.

4. In a stringed musical instrument, a body and a neck for restraining the strings of the instrument, combined with opposing plates on said members, one plate having several parallel grooves therein extending transversely of the body, and the other plate having several pointed pegs impinging upon the bottoms of said grooves, and connecting means between said body and neck for securing said members together.

5. In a stringed musical instrument, a body and a neck for restraining the strings of the instrument, combined with opposing plates mount ed on said members, one of said plates having several pointed pegs thereon impinging upon the other plate, and a tie rod anchored in said neck and having a minimum amount of contact with the body.

6. In a stringed musical instrument, a body and a neck for restraining the strings of the instrument, combined with opposing plates mounted on said members, one of said plates having several pointed pegs thereon impinging upon the other plate, a tie rod anchored in the neck, a contact plate in the body, a clamp ring having several pointed pegs impinging on said contact plate, and a nut threaded upon said tie rod and engaging said contact plate for impinging the pegs of said clamp ring upon the contact plate.

'7. In a stringed musical instrument, a resonant body, a restraining element associated therewith, strings, attached at one end to the resonant body and at the other end to the restraining element, pointed spacing members positioned between the resonant body and restraining element providing a minimum amount of contact therebetween, and connecting means between the resonant body and restraining element for securing them together,

said connecting means having a minimum amount of surface contact with the resonant body and restraining element.

8. In a stringed musical instrument, a resonant body, a restraining element associated therewith, strings, attached at one end to the resonant body and at the other end to the restraining element,

spacing members mounted on the resonant body and each having a single point of contact with the restraining element, and connecting means between said resonant body and restraining element for securing them together.

HURSI-IEL HOMER SIMPSON. 

